


Out of Espresso

by suecsit



Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series)
Genre: Gen, Hints of Lawrusso, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mostly Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-27
Updated: 2018-08-27
Packaged: 2019-07-03 02:58:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15809922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suecsit/pseuds/suecsit
Summary: Daniel runs out of espresso the day after Johnny finds out about Robby.Chaos ensues.





	Out of Espresso

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry, guys, for the delay. I needed to "get my house in order" because the first version was kinda short and shaky.

They’d been out of espresso that morning of the All Valley tournament. 

Daniel had meant to pick more up at the neighborhood Whole Foods the day before, but thanks to Johnny Lawrence, all he had done was drive around his old neighborhood and sit in a bar all day.

He wanted those hours back now. Especially because he had, well, enjoyed himself. That was the shameful part he didn’t want to admit to anyone. He enjoyed Johnny Lawrence’s company. The more rounds they drank, the better they got along. 

Until Robby. And honestly? Daniel realized when he woke up that he couldn’t really blame Johnny for being horrified at the whole mess. He was pretty horrified, too.

Amanda teased him about it Saturday when he woke up with a headache. “So you found out your boyfriend is the son of your worst enemy,” she said, tousling his hair as she sat up in bed next to him. “It’s not the end of the world.” 

“I don’t really want to get into it,” Daniel mumbled, stumbling into the hall closet to find clothes. “I just need some caffeine, and then you can give me a hard time.”

“Someone’s a little grumpy,” Amanda commented, her usual sunny disposition doing nothing to alleviate the overall discomfort he couldn’t shake. 

Daniel was hung over and pissed off. He had reached for something in his closet that would reflect the way he felt. That pretty much amounted to wearing a long sleeved navy t-shirt with a few rips in it that his daughter had given him one Father’s Day and a pair of dark blue and black flannel pajama pants that said “Surf’’s Up” (another Father’s Day gift, only this one from Anthony). Besides, he didn’t plan to go anywhere. He was staying right on the couch.

And so what if putting on his kids’ presents made him feel superior to Johnny? He’d never admit that out loud. But he could guess that the only present Johnny ever got from HIS kid was a kick to the curb. 

Or maybe a LARUSSO AUTO t-shirt. Daniel pushed his anger back down somewhere he couldn’t reach it as easily. 

His mind kept flashing back to scenes where Robby would smile up at him and say thank you. Where he joined them for dinner and laughed with Sam. He remembered telling the kid that karate came “much more naturally” to him than it did when he was young. Ha.

Now he knew why. 

Daniel went to the kitchen and grabbed a small espresso cup. He then reached for the bag of beans he usually had sitting next to the machine. When he held the bag up, it was empty.

Screw this, he thought. 

“Sam?” he asked. “Did you make the last bit of the coffee?”

She didn’t answer. She was still in her pajamas, looking down at something on her phone. She looked terrible. 

“What happened to you?” he asked.

Amanda sidled up to him in the kitchen. “Boy trouble,” she mumbled softly, as she reached for a glass of water.

He wasn’t sure he was ready to hear about WHICH boy. “Listen, I’ll be back soon. Headed to Starbucks,” he said, grabbing his keys. “Sam, you want anything?”

No answer.

What if she were pining over Robby??

Amanda leaned against the kitchen counter and surveyed him with a little smile pulling at her lips. “Wait, hon, you’re not going out in that.”

“There’s no caffeine here. I’ll use the drive through.” He leaned over to kiss her quickly on the cheek.

Daniel walked outside and felt a shiver run through him. What if Sam was really interested in Robby? They got along so well. This was how things started for some teenagers. They were high school sweethearts, and then they got married and had kids of their own and there were family reunions and people took PHOTOS at those reunions, and it was horrifying because you had to stand next to people you didn’t like and pretend you were family….

Once Daniel slammed the car door and turned up the radio, he screamed in frustration. 

After three red lights and plenty of road rage, he pulled into a parking spot and headed inside the Starbucks at Encino Commons. In his absent minded state, he forgot that he was wearing what equated to a set of pajamas in a neighborhood where adults often judged each other based on the price of their shoes.

He didn’t think anyone would bother him about it. He walked into the coffee shop like he was ready to kill someone. 

And then he spotted Johnny Lawrence in the corner.

Clearly Johnny hadn’t slept all night. His eyes were bloodshot, and his hands were wrapped around the Trenta-sized cup as if it held magical powers. 

Right, Daniel remembered. He had to coach in a few hours. That had to suck. 

Daniel had taken his sunglasses off when he entered but quickly put them back on. He moved to the cashier farthest from Johnny’s table and ordered an Americano with two extra shots to go. 

On the way out he felt eyes on him. Fuck, he thought. Why couldn’t Johnny go away for at least ONE day? Why the hell did he keep popping up everywhere?

More importantly, how could he make it stop? Now he was involved with the guy’s family. And like it or not, his anger toward Robby was starting to cool, just a little.

The idea of really firing the kid and having to hire someone new and train them and ask them to cover Louie’s messes….well, it just wasn’t appealing. He groaned inwardly.

The universe had to be pissed at him about something. 

Then the door he tried to slam behind him didn’t actually slam, and there was the sound of clumsy feet behind him. Daniel fumbled for the fob on his keys but it got caught in his pocket. He kept his eyes facing front and quickened his pace. 

“Are you seriously running away from me?” Johnny barked, moving to stand in front of Daniel’s SUV. How the guy managed to move that fast when his blood alcohol level was that high was beyond Daniel’s comprehension.

Alcoholism was genetic, Daniel mused. He wondered if Robby drank.

That’s not your problem, he scolded himself. Not anymore. 

“Johnny, get out of the way,” he growled. 

“Fuck you, man. Fuck your obsession with me. Just stay the hell away from me and my family.”

“I didn’t know he was your kid,” Daniel retorted, ready to push Johnny aside and head home. “Get over yourself.” 

There wasn’t enough caffeine in the world to make him want to justify why Johnny shouldn’t hate him for this. Maybe for a few other things…the Zarkarian scheme was pretty low…but not for this.

And then he mentally berated himself—why the hell do you care if he hates you? He blamed it on caffeine withdrawal, which was getting worse every passing minute. He felt the headache creep into the base of his skull and spread down his neck and shoulders. 

Of course, he pushed aside the thought that part of the headache came from dehydration and being hung over. More specifically, it came from drinking endless rounds with Johnny and paying for more than half of them. That thought wasn’t helpful, just confusing. 

He reached for the door handle but Johnny’s arms went out over it. “No, I’m NOT getting OVER myself,” he hissed. “You’ve been obsessed with me since high school. Get your own fucking life and leave mine alone.”

“Ok, you’re right, these past 34 years all I’ve done is think of YOU and wait for you to have kids so I could manipulate them for my own evil purposes.” Daniel shook his head. Suddenly this was funny, but he knew better than to laugh. Even without caffeine he knew better. “Now move away from my car,” he threatened. 

“No.”

“Johnny I swear…”

Johnny reached out and knocked the coffee cup out of Daniel’s hand.

“You did not just do that,” Daniel said, staring in shock at the asphalt where the brown liquid trickled under his tires. “Are you insane???” 

“Fuck you,” Johnny said, and Daniel’s arm went back before he knew what he was doing. He tucked the thumb just like he had taught Robby when he stormed out of the dealership that day. Circle of life, he thought bitterly. 

The blow landed square on Johnny’s nose. He reeled backward, hands on his face, finding blood on his fingers when he looked at them. Daniel had the sneaking suspicion that the punch was a success because Johnny wasn’t sober. He had likely been drinking all night long. 

That’s why Daniel made the mistake of underestimating him and turning around to open the car. Johnny’s leg was up in a round kick that landed square on his shoulder. 

Daniel stumbled, the other arm out and ready. He had a feeling the shoulder was dislocated. 

Meanwhile a couple rushed into the shop and looked like they were telling the manager something. When Daniel saw it out of the corner of his eye, he stepped back from Johnny and the car. 

“Forget it,” he said. “I’m not getting arrested because of you.” He held the other hand up to signal his surrender. 

Johnny wiped the blood from his nose on to his dirty jeans, the same ones, Daniel noted, he had worn the day before. He turned to glance back at the Starbucks and the people inside the window, who were watching them. 

“Afraid to lose in front of an audience LaRusso?”

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Daniel yelled. “We’re in a Starbucks parking lot!”

“You started it!”

“You knocked my cup out of my hand!”

“You brainwashed my kid!”

“You drew a dick on my face!”

“Mommy, he said dick,” a little boy said as his mother hurried him into the shop. 

Suddenly faces that had gathered around the coffee shop window were now opening the door and leaning out to hear the altercation between two grown men. A few more customers had pulled up in the meantime.

Daniel turned red. This was ridiculous. “Look,” he grated. “I. DIDN’T. KNOW.”

In an action that he later would never understand, Daniel used his one good arm and reached for a handkerchief inside his pocket and handed it over to Johnny. Johnny flinched at first, and then grabbed it resentfully and held it to his nose. “Really?” the man asked skeptically. 

“Really.” Daniel kept his arm cradled in the other one.

They stood there facing each other for a few minutes. Johnny finally nodded ever so slightly in acceptance. He looked defeated. Tired. And still a bit unsteady.

Daniel sighed. “Do you need a ride?” he asked. 

“I can drive myself,” Johnny grumbled.

“Maybe you shouldn’t,” Daniel said, an edge to his voice. “If not for your sake, then for other people.” 

Johnny relented and moved into the passenger side of the vehicle as Daniel slid into his own seat. His hands were on the steering wheel, but he didn’t turn the key. He just stared at the dash with resignation. Then he let his hands fall and his head roll back on the top of the seat. “I can’t keep doing this,” he said. 

“Ok, drama queen,” Johnny snorted, his hands still holding the handkerchief to his nose. 

They sat together in a moment of (almost) companionable silence. 

“Why didn’t you just take the tree and leave that day? Why did you open that dojo? Can’t you just….” Daniel’s words trailed off. 

“Can’t I what?”

“I don’t know, Johnny. I don’t know.”

“What the fuck is your problem now?”

“I still haven’t had any caffeine.”

Johnny shook his head. “Still crying because I spilled your drink?”

“Yeah, and you’re going to buy me another one,” Daniel grunted. He turned the key in the ignition.

“I might know a place,” Johnny said. He lowered his window and tossed the bloody handkerchief out to the curb. 

Classy.

Daniel looked over at the guy next to him. “You know, this is the second day in a row I’ve gotten tricked into spending time with you.” 

“You think I want this?” 

“I think you want something.”

“Maybe I just need more coffee.”

Daniel sighed. Everywhere he went Johnny was at the end of the road. Perhaps it was time to surrender and accept it. “Lead the way,” he said, and pulled out of the lot, careful to use one arm more than the other. The pain was fading to a dull ache.

Johnny reached over to playfully punch the shoulder he had injured. 

“Ow!” Daniel yelled,” his car swerving on the road. “What the fuck?”

“Just keeping you on your toes,” Johnny said, putting his sunglasses on. “You got any Speedwagon?” 

Daniel groaned. 

“And what the hell are you wearing? Are those pajamas? Oh shit, they are. They ARE.”

“Johnny if you don’t shut up….”

“Hey, it’s a good look on you. The whole tie and coat thing makes you look like an asshole.”

“You’re calling ME an asshole?”

Johnny reached over and touched his shoulder again, only this time with more care. “Does it really hurt?” he asked.

“You’re goddamn right it hurts,” Daniel sulked. "I'm pretty sure it's dislocated." 

“Calm down, Danielle,” Johnny teased. “My nose doesn’t look any better.”

They both rode in silence for a while until Johnny motioned for Daniel to exit. Daniel turned off the freeway but looked at him in confusion. “There’s no coffee shop out here,” he complained. “You’re just fucking around.”

“Patience. Turn right up here.” 

They were at a BP gas station. A fucking gas station.

“Coffee’s good here,” Johnny said, getting out of the car. 

Daniel simply glared at him.

“Come on, get out of the car.”

“No.”

“Suit yourself.”

Johnny walked into the grocery shop adjoining the pumps. Daniel watched him disappear inside. 

Great job, LaRusso, he told himself. What did you expect, anyway?

When Johnny finally came out, he was carrying two jumbo-sized paper cups with lids on them, a plastic bag with grocery items, and a bag of ice. 

Daniel shook his head. “Is this your grocery shopping for the week?” he asked. Johnny put the things down at his feet and handed him the coffee. 

He didn’t take it. Instead he regarded it as if it were poison.

“Now who needs to get over themselves?” Johnny said. 

For a moment Daniel did feel like a complete prick. He took it and sipped. 

“It’s actually not that bad,” he admitted.

“There’s cream and sugar and fake sugar…” Johnny dumped the paper bag into his lap. It was full of different colored sugar packets and small containers of French Vanilla and Hazelnut and Irish Crème. Daniel just stared at him. “Well, I didn’t know how you take it!” he barked. 

“Black is fine, thanks.”

“Fine then. Put it down though.” 

“You want me to put the caffeine DOWN?”

“Just for a minute.” Johnny fumbled in the grocery bag for paper towels and pulled them out, taking the plastic off of the outside. He then reached down between his legs to poke a hole in the ice bag. 

“Johnny, what are you doing?”

“Just be patient, all right?”

Daniel watched Johnny place about eight or nine ice cubes inside several paper towels. “Put this on your shoulder,” he ordered. 

“Huh?”

Johnny handed him the ice pack. “Put it on your shoulder,” he repeated. 

Daniel gingerly took the bag from his hands and placed it on his right shoulder. “Thanks,” he mumbled. 

Through the haze of the headache and the caffeine withdrawal, Daniel suddenly flashed back to Mr. Miyagi applying heat to an injured leg by rubbing his hands together. Why that memory had surfaced at that particular point in time…he had no idea.

It did remind him that Johnny was going to be running late for the tournament if they sat in the parking lot much longer. He finally set the bag of ice aside and started the car. 

“Gonna be a long day,” Johnny said, looking out the window.

“It already is,” Daniel replied. 

They drove back to the Starbucks parking lot.


End file.
